If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

The Snip

Our dog Bertie is about 8 months old now and has such a wonderful character. Ok, sometimes he's a little TOO boisterous!!

We're starting to think perhaps we should have him castrated. We don't intend to breed from him and we believe there are health benefits. People we have spoken to all seem to have different opinions both for and against it, so we're a little unsure.

I think our main concern is will it change his character?

And at what age should it be done? Should we wait till he's at least a year old, or is it better to do it whilst he's young?

The reason so many of us are not breeding is that that is the responsible choice to make.

First of all, a cavalier that was not purchased through a mentorship arrangement with an established breeder for showing and breeding, is a *pet quality cavalier* that is not intended for breeding and should never be bred because it is not considered to have genes that should be passed on. This doesn't mean the pet isn't a wonderful, treasured companion, but it is NOT a breeding or a show dog. Reputable breeders in the US in particular always sell their dogs on contracts that require the pet owner to spay or neuter so most likely you are required to neuter your fellow for more reasons than just an underbite.

We have also learned -- many of us the hard way, because we bought sickly cavaliers from backyard breeders who didn't breed for health -- that genetics and true breedings skills are important. We know we definitely do not know enough about genetics to understand how to breed to best avoid the very serious health issues that threaten this breed, pirmarily MVD, which nearly every cavalier will have by age 10, and half will have by age 5; we do not know enough about doing the pedigree research over a minimum of five generations and do not know enough about various cavalier lines to be sure we are making a match that always improves the breed, in terms of health, conformation and temperament, rather than causing a decline in any one of these areas; we do not wish to take on the risky task of breeding dogs, as there is always the chance of losing that loved cavalier we decided to breed -- if, as is not uncommon, she or her puppies have complications during the birthing process; we know that this is a breed that in some hands, already has been severely damaged, its lifespan on average reduced by a third to up to a half, by random breeding done by people who do not understand enough about any of the above subjects.

Again, this is why going to a reputable breeder is so important, because they are good caretakers of the breed as a whole and of immediate relevance, are far more likely to sell us a puppy that has all the best chances for a long and healthy life.

If there were no backyard breeders (for that is all anyone is who breeds without a total commitment to the breed and all these issues) and if all breeders had focused on health in the past two decades, we would not be seeing 50% of cavaliers with heart murmurs by age 5, and the average lifespan now described as 7-10 years instead of the 12-15 years it should be for a toy breed. Nothing destroys a breed, slowly and surely, like indiscriminate breeding. You can see it in every breed that has become popular -- as that creates a market for the puppy mills and the trash breeders. Poodles, Dalmations, German shepherds, goldens, cairn terriers, labs... so many of these breeds now have serious health problems that can be laid directly at the door of those who breed without knowing anything about breeding for health and conformation.

I love this breed too much to risk adding to its existing health challenges. And I know there are many wise breeders who have spent years working initially with a mentor, and then constantly learning more through experience, involvement with clubs, involvement with showing, and research. Those are the people in whose able hands all breeding should be left.

Here's good place to start reading about why people should not breed cavaliers unless they are ready to start the long road of full commitment to the breed:

I have to say that Karlin summed it all up. From all my research and devotion to cavaliers before and now that I have ginger, everything she said is why you dont just breed a cavalier to have it have puppies or not neuter/spay them because your afraid their personality & coat will change. I thought Ginger was pricey (and she was!) but now realize how important it is that she came from a reputable breeder and a good family. Even with good intentions its obvious how harmful it can be to breed these amazing dogs without total knowledge on the subject. I dont always post, but I felt I had to show my support in Karlins post which as I said was right on.